The San Francisco 49ers, an American football club headquartered in California, were named after the gold-seekers who rushed to the state in 1849.¹⁾

Mount Whitney, 14,494 feet above sea level, is California's highest peak.²⁾

Death Valley is the lowest location in California, at 282 feet below sea level.³⁾

California is the most populous state in the United States, with a population of 39.5 million people.⁴⁾

The hula hoop, the Egg McMuffin, Barbie, WD-40, California rolls (sushi), Cobb salad, the Shirley Temple (alcoholic beverage), and the nicotine patch are among California inventions.⁵⁾

If California were a nation, it would have the world's fifth-largest economy, greater than the United Kingdom, France, or India.⁶⁾

The film business, the hippie counterculture, the Internet, the personal computer, fast food, and beach culture all originated in California.⁷⁾

After Alaska and Texas, California is the third biggest state.⁸⁾

At 1,040 miles long and 560 miles broad, California is almost the same size as France, Spain, and Sweden combined.⁹⁾

California has more national parks than any other state, with 9 of the 59 parks.¹⁰⁾

Humans first arrived in California 130,000 years ago.¹¹⁾

Californians drive to work for an average of 29 minutes each trip.¹²⁾

California has eight of the top ten most expensive home markets in the United States. The average property price in the two most costly regions, Newport Beach and Palo Alto, is more over $2.5 million.¹³⁾

San Jose, California, the Silicon Valley center, is regarded as the most expensive city in America.¹⁴⁾

Unfortunately, many Californians are homeless, accounting for more than 30% of the entire homeless population in the United States.¹⁵⁾

During the California Gold Rush, San Francisco increased from 200 to 36,000 people.¹⁶⁾

California provides virtually all of the almonds, celery, figs, kiwi fruits, walnuts, and other foods consumed in the United States. The state is the world's fifth-largest food producer.¹⁷⁾

The state of California was previously known as the Grizzly Bear State. However, because grizzly bears were driven to extinction in California, the state is now known as the Golden State.¹⁸⁾

California is the only state to have hosted both the Winter and Summer Olympics.¹⁹⁾

California is home to some of the world's oldest and tallest trees.²⁰⁾

Fortune cookies were originated in California rather than Asia.²¹⁾

Los Angeles was formerly known as “El Pueblo de Nuestra Seora Reina de Los Angeles Sobre el Rio Porciuncula”. It means “The River of Our Lady Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula”.²²⁾

Monarch is the name of the grizzly bear on the California flag.²³⁾

California was named from a book published some 500 years ago. The story was about a gold-rich island called California.²⁴⁾

The Iron Door Saloon in Groveland is California's oldest saloon. It was constructed in 1852.²⁵⁾

The whole California coastline is designated as a national monument known as the “California Coastal National Monument”.²⁶⁾

On September 9, 1850, California became the 31st state.²⁷⁾

Several buffalo were transported to Catalina Island, off the coast of California, for a film in the 1920s. Around 200 of these may still be seen on the island today.²⁸⁾

In an effort to halt the spread of COVID-19, the state of California outlawed singing and chanting in places of worship in July 2020.²⁹⁾

Following the Mexican-American War, Mexico surrendered California to the United States in 1848. In the 1850 Compromise, California was annexed as a free, non-slavery state.³⁰⁾